HHI, Saudi shipping firm sign deal on smart ship tools

Hyundai Heavy Industries, a major Korean shipbuilder, said Monday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with a Saudi shipping firm to work together to develop technologies needed for a “smart ship” platform.

Under the deal with the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia, better known as Bahri, HHI will develop smart ship technologies and use them with Bahri’s fleet.

Hyundai Heavy unveiled the world’s first smart ship system in 2011, and some 300 ships use the system. The smart ship system, backed by ICT and big data, allows ship owners to better manage their fleets and improve operations.

Ship owners can capture and check the range of a ship’s voyage information including location, weather, and ocean current data, as well as onboard equipment and cargo. They will be able to monitor their vessel’s status in real time. Bahri owns 37 very large crude carriers. YONHAP